Police launch major operation near Schongau school in Bavaria

Police said a 16-year-old boy had been arrested after two girls were seriously injured in an incident at Welfen-Gymnasium in Schongau, Bavaria, as officers mounted a major operation and urged people to avoid the area. The school was under a heavy security presence while authorities worked to pin down the number of people involved and the extent of the injuries.

The alarm was raised around 12:50 p.m. local time during school hours, and police said a large number of officers and rescue crews were sent to the scene. Multiple helicopters were also deployed, including one used in the search for the suspect, who fled briefly before being found and detained. Police set up a contact point for parents and relatives at Schongau’s fire station, turning the building into the main family information point as the response unfolded.

By the afternoon, police said the two girls were seriously injured but that their lives were not in danger. They also said they were operating on the assumption that the perpetrator acted alone. Officers did not confirm a weapon and declined to say whether the girls were students at the school, leaving several key details under review even after the suspect was in custody.

Schongau is a small town of more than 12,000 residents in western Upper Bavaria, and the response forced families, teachers and emergency services into a tightly managed information system centered on the school grounds and the fire station. The scene pointed to the practical demands of school crisis planning: secure the campus, clear the area, account for the injured and direct relatives to one place rather than allowing confusion to spread across the town.